The Touch of a Goddess
by The Jackal Takes Whiskey
Summary: Lost in the woods at a young age, Issei stumbles across a mysterious woman, and her influence profoundly changes the course of his entire life.


Dry, cold leaves crunched beneath Issei's feet as his arms wound ever-tighter around his small chest. Panic was growing with every passing second as he stared at what little light remained on the trees. Semidarkness was rapidly claiming the forest and Issei knew that even that would slip away soon. What little of the sky he could see was a gradient of very dark blue stretching into orange as his eyes trailed west.

Issei's teeth chattered as a shiver went through him. A parched throat was still sore from screaming, while a jacket and long pants that had proved entirely inadequate tried to keep in even a shred of body heat. His legs were sore from hours upon hours of walking, but Issei forced himself to go on even as they and his stomach both protested.

There had to be someone nearby. A building, a street, _something_. Some sign of human life. He didn't care if it was in Kuoh or not. He just didn't want to be out here anymore. He wanted to be back home and eat dinner with mommy and daddy and watch television and beg to stay up later than his bedtime.

But the forest didn't care what he wanted. Indeed, it seemed to taunt him, in a way. No matter what way his head swung, the trees and underbrush offered no clues as to which way he should go. Every tree and every bit of brush looked virtually the same as all the others, the rapidly-encroaching dark worsening the effect.

And it was so, so cold. Issei remembered the words of his mother, insisting that he wear warm clothes and how he'd argued that he was tough enough to not need them. His lips pulled into a grimace, bending tiny cheeks stained with dried tears.

Numb legs carried him up another hill and dragged themselves through underbrush. There was no direction, really, not now. He'd taken lefts and rights and long since lost any sense of that. All that was left was a dull determination to keep going. This forest wasn't endless. It couldn't be. There had to be an edge, an end to the trees. If he kept walking in one direction, he was bound to find the end of it eventually.

That, at least, was what he told himself even as the last traces of daylight faded from the sky and black overtook everything.

The darkness was the worst of all. It didn't render the entire forest completely invisible, but it was so close that it might as well have been. Several times, Issei tripped over roots his eyes could no longer see, sniffling at the scratches and scrapes he bore from the result. And though each time he picked himself and kept going, his pace quickly slowed to a crawl. Every step had to be careful and deliberate, trying to feel for the distinct pressure of a tree root underneath the soles of his shoes. Trying to work out exactly which way the tree would be oriented with position to the roots, using little more than his sensation of touch.

For quite a while, this worked just fine, at least for keeping Issei on his feet. It did nothing for his sense of direction. For that, Issei could only keep his eyes strained at the treeline and hope to see bright lights.

But no matter how long he walked through the heavy dark, he saw none. What he did see were the shapes. Vague, blurry things, only visible in silhouette and lacking any details. There weren't many of them, but each and every one sent a fresh wave of terror through Issei when he spied them. Few remained for long after Issei saw them, bounding away through the underbrush, leaving nothing but the rustling of leaves and branches in their wakes.

He didn't know how long he walked in this way, feeling out every step and trying to push down the dread and fear. A while, at least, long enough for it to settle into something like a rhythm.

But eventually, Issei miscalculated and misjudged, took a few steps in the wrong direction. And the dark had grown so thick and heavy that he could not see the tree until his head knocked against it and he lost his footing. He hit the ground, bouncing off the end of a tree root as he collapsed.

As he lay there, pain blooming from his face, his back and his legs, some tiny thing cracked inside, and the last shreds of a tattered facade were quickly swept away as tears began to flow and sobs escaped him.

Issei continued to cry, even as he forced himself into a sitting position against the tree he'd collided with. Arms wrapped around legs that pulled themselves close, Issei coiling into a tiny, weeping ball.

Through the sobs, Issei could see flashes of his own memories in the dark, mind's eye conjuring them into the black like a film projector on a screen. He remembered the faces of his mother and father and of his home, and already they felt like a distant memory.

This was it. The forest night held him now in its compassionless, icy grip. It would consume him in time and at its leisure. He wouldn't last until morning, cold as it was and growing colder still. No way out and nobody with him to hear him cry. The forest drank deep of the sound, swallowed it all and returned nothing but the rustling of leaves and a faint dot of light in the distance.

It took Issei a long, long time to raise his eyes from the cloth of the arms of his coat, and even when he did, he almost missed the far-off speck in the dark. And even when he did spy it, he discarded it as little more than a trick of his light-deprived eyes.

That assumption, however, did not stop his body, and almost against his will, his body forced itself to stand on sore legs.

Slowly, Issei crept through the underbrush towards the light that he wasn't sure was real. His breath was slow and he dared not blink, lest he lose sight of the light. Eyes burned with the strain.

There was no time for Issei, just this endless forest and the guarded, measured crawl forward. Ten minutes and ten years would have been exactly the same stretch for all that Issei could have discerned. Without the light of the sun or artificial devices, it functionally ceased to be.

Time returned to him not by the light, but a smell. Until it hit him, Issei's nose returned no real scents, having long since grown accustomed to the muted, earthy scent of the cold forest.

Issei swallowed at the acrid tang of smoke, but it didn't stop his slow advance. If there was a fire that hadn't blazed out of control, that meant people, right? A burst of joy went through him at that thought. If he'd found someone, they might just be able to help him. And as long as he could get back to Kuoh and his home, Issei didn't care about the punishments he'd probably receive from his parents.

The light grew, and is it did, Issei's eyes began to tingle at its flicker. It danced back and forth, no longer a bright pinprick through the trees but a blur of orange and red. With each step, the flicker became clearer and simultaneously blurrier as it jumped back and forth. He could tell now that it wasn't more than a small campfire that made that light, and that put him into the best mood he'd been in in hours.

And then he heard something that stopped him in his tracks, however briefly.

He couldn't make out quite what words the singer was using, but he didn't need to understand the words to hear the richness and clarity with which she sung. He could hear other things - the crackling and snap of the wood in the fire, the chirping of a cricket or two. But all was overpowered by the song. And the closer he drew, the more clearly he could hear her voice.

When he drew close to the fire, however, the singing abruptly cut off. Issei froze when it did. Eyes stared forward, taking in the clearing where the campfire burned.

Then the fire was suddenly obstructed. Between the fire and Issei had appeared a human form, a woman's. The fire at her back bathed the front in shadow and Issei could make out no features of her face.

What he could make out was that the woman held a bow. An arrow was nocked on taut string.

And aimed directly at Issei's head.

Instinctively, Issei screamed and tried to jump away. His foot caught on a tree root he hadn't realized he was standing near in the effort, and he went sprawling across the forest floor and into a bush. Pain welled up as thorns and brush dug into his face and his hands, and another knock from tree roots as he fell left his back similarly ablaze.

Issei rolled over onto his back, new tears already flowing down his face, to find that the woman had let the string that held the arrow go slack. A few breaths later, she lowered the bow, then slung it over her back.

And then she started to walk towards him.

Issei scrambled, pushing himself backwards with bleeding hands and bruised legs. They hurt too much to try and stand on them, but still he tried to put more distance between himself and the woman. Yet the woman did not stop, closing the distance between them with steady strides.

Issei felt something quite hard and rough suddenly hit his back, and the momentum his head had built up was just enough to carry it forwards.

His hands found the back of his head as yet more pain swelled through it, to add to all the pain in the rest of his body. His knees pulled up, curling his entire body into a small ball.

"It's okay."

Despite the pain, the tears and the neon sparks behind his eyes, Issei still found himself looking up at the voice. The woman stood directly over him, facial features still hidden in darkness. She remained that way for only a moment before she knelt down. A hand reached towards Issei.

He flattened himself against the tree he had collided with, but that did nothing to keep the woman's hand away.

When the woman's hand touched his face, Issei had expected more pain. Instead, the hand was gentle, if firm. The fingers slid across his skin, palm cupping his face.

"It's okay," the woman cooed in a kind voice. "I am dearly sorry, child. I thought you might be someone else."

"P-Please don't hurt me…" Issei squeaked.

"No, no, no," the woman said, caressing his face. Even as she did, the pain in Issei's head seemed to recede. "Do not worry about that. You are safe." She removed her fingers and stood, only to extend a hand to him. "Would you like to join me by the fire?" she asked, gesturing back towards the clearing with her other hand.

As he stared at the hand wrapped in shadows, Issei was washed through by a feeling he couldn't explain. A warm feeling, a belief in the woman's unwavering sincerity. As though she wished only to do right by him, that feeling that he should put all faith in her. Like he could trust her with his life, that at that moment she was the one person in the world who truly cared for him.

Beneath it, part of his mind seized and rattled, screaming at him that this woman had pointed a bow at him, and he didn't know who she was, and it made no sense that she was out here, and that she might be trying to-

But most of his mind was too consumed by the warmth the woman exuded despite him not truly being able to see her. Her offer promised comfort that he couldn't resist.

Hesitantly, he took the offered hand. And as soon as he did, the pain in his own hand began to vanish.

The woman pulled Issei to his feet, the tug just strong enough to be efficient without hurting him. Not letting his hand go, she walked him towards the clearing, the touch never feeling too insistent or at all unkind. As they approached the fire, Issei found himself shivering.

"Are you cold?" the woman asked instantly. Without giving him a chance to respond, she said, "Just sit down by the fire. I should have something warm to spare."

Issei followed that instruction, taking a criss-cross seat at the fire and spreading his hands towards it. His head, though, turned to follow the woman as she walked away from him.

Across the clearing, there was a bedroll and a large bag, which the woman strode towards and unzipped before rooting through it. After a moment, she pulled out a neatly-folded cloth of some type and turned back towards him.

When Issei finally caught a glimpse of her face, his breath left his lungs all at once.

This woman was absolutely, utterly beautiful. Silky black hair framed a thin, pale face free of imperfection. Her eyes nearly seemed to glow with a shine visible even from this distance.

As the woman walked back towards him, she unfolded the cloth in her hands, revealing it to be a thick blanket, which she wrapped around Issei.

"There we go," she cooed as she sat down and slid an arm down Issei's shoulder. "There we go. Is that better, child?"

Issei's face turned red, both at the touch and at her beauty. Issei wasn't yet of the age when he would be interested in her in more lecherous ways, but he wasn't blind.

"Y-Yeah," he stammered, trying not to look at her. "Thank you…"

"Is something wrong?" the woman asked, concern thick in her voice.

"N-N-No!" Issei exclaimed. "Uh… I just…"

"You…?"

"...you're really pretty…" Issei admitted. He face grew even redder.

The woman laughed, and the arm around him tightened a bit. "Well, thank you for the compliment, though I'll have to refuse any romantic requests…"

As Issei cringed in self-pity, he felt the woman's other hand begin to run its fingers through his hair. He didn't object, as strange as it was for him. Though he'd always hated it when his own mother did that, it felt perfectly right and natural coming from this woman. The warmth, that trust and absolute faith in her had not wavered, and in fact felt stronger now than before. Strong enough that his previous doubts were now little more than a fleeting echo in his mind.

"Might I ask you a question, child?"

Issei turned his head to look at her. "What is it?"

"What is your name?"

When he gave it to her, she smiled. "Issei, hmm? A very nice name." The fingers left his hair and returned to rest on the woman's own collarbone. "I am Artemis."

"Umm… hello, miss Artemis."

She chuckled at his attempt at formality. "No need for a "miss" or any honorifics, Issei. Just 'Artemis'." Her face suddenly turned dark, and Issei's heart fell into his stomach at the look.

He'd upset her. Somehow, some way. Had he not been respectful enough? Outright rude in some other way he couldn't imagine? In those brief instants between words, a million possibilities ran through Issei's head, and he was terrified. That same feeling that lead to his instant trust also made it horrible to think of disappointing her.

Then she spoke, and all fears were waylaid.

"And please, do _not_ make any jokes about 'just Artemis'. It is neither original nor was it ever funny."

"Okay… Artemis." It felt strange to Issei's tongue to address an adult so informally, but if she wanted it, he would do it.

The fingers returned to Issei's hair, and as they continued to talk, Issei found himself leaning against Artemis, enjoying her touch as much as the blanket and the warmth of the flames.

"So then, Issei, I am rather curious," Artemis said. "What exactly are you doing out here? This seems an odd place for a child to be, especially after the sun has gone down."

Issei swallowed. "I'm… uh… not really supposed…" He clammed up then, feeling immensely stupid all over again. How on earth could he have thought that doing this was a good idea?

Yet when he looked up at Artemis, trying to summon up the nerve to keep talking, she found her lip had curled up in an odd smirk.

"Let me guess," Artemis said. "Your parents explicitly told you to stay out of the forest. You, being a confident, mature individual with an absolutely wonderful sense of direction, decided that they were simply worrywarts with unreasonably low expectations of your abilities. You then walked into the massive forest, intending to have fun for the day, only to become lost and unable to find your way home again and proving their worries founded after all." The hand in his hair slid down to cup his cheek. "How did I do, Issei?"

Issei's slight squirming and tensing as he desperately tried to reduce his own size was evidently answer enough, because she chuckled. "Well, I suppose it _is_ good that we crossed paths. I can help you find your way home easily enough." She looked up into the dark that had consumed the treetops. "Not tonight, however. Far too dark for that. Were we not in the forest, the full moon would provide light enough. Alas…"

"My mommy and daddy are probably really worried about me…" Issei said, his voice and words a weak attempt at protest.

"Indeed, they likely are." Her face became slightly stern again. "Whose fault is that?"

Issei's lips turned down at the scolding. "Mine…"

Artemis gave a sagely nod. "You will have to explain your absence and violations of their rules yourself, Issei. I will not help you with that." The fingers returned to his hair. "That said… you _are _welcome to stay with me for the night."

He gave a shy smile to Artemis. "Umm… thank you."

"No trouble at all. Are you hungry, Issei?"

Another swallow of saliva went down Issei's throat at the mention of food, and he nodded. Artemis returned his smile and stood again, walking back to the bag. After a few moments of digging around, she pulled out a plastic bag and a bottle of water, which she handed to Issei.

"I hope boar is to your taste," Artemis said as Issei removed a strip of meat. "I've little else."

Luckily for both, Issei quickly found he adored the taste of the rich meat, and said so. When he did, Artemis fixed him with that same kind smile.

"Well then, Issei, that entire bag is yours. Eat as much as you can stomach."

Between bites of meat and sips of water, the hunger and thirst that Issei had found himself ignoring underneath Artemis' loving touch was erased. He didn't manage to eat the entire bag's worth; in fact, he barely seemed to make much of a dent at all in the meat. Artemis, however, was entirely fine with that, taking the bag and now-empty bottle back in her bag. Even when she had, though, she did not immediately close the bag again. Instead, she pushed and pulled a few objects around in her bag, before reaching in and pulling out a case-like wrap of cloth.

As she unrolled it, Issei realized it was a plain gray bedroll.

"Well then, Issei, if your hunger is quite sated, there is little reason to force yourself to stay awake." As she finished unrolling it, she patted the pillow.

Despite the situation, the old instinct surfaced, and Issei felt a pout come onto his face. "But I'm not tired..." The protestation was far weaker than it normally was at home, and it was a bit of a lie regardless.

"And what are you planning to do, sit here and stare at the fire some more?" Artemis asked, lips creased in a wry smile. "You _are_ welcome to do so, but I can assure you that the flames will not begin performing magic tricks if you stare at them long enough, and they grow less interesting the longer they burn."

Normally, Issei would have pushed back more. Yet tonight, even as he looked at the bedroll, he felt his eyes droop just a bit, and he bit back a yawn. Deciding that sleep _did_ actually sound quite nice, he obediently stood from the fire, clutching the blanket around his shoulders.

When he walked over to Artemis and attempted to return it, however, she gave a friendly shake of her head, still smiling. "You can use the blanket for the night, Issei. It will only grow colder."

"But what if _you _get cold?" Issei asked.

The smile widened. "Quite unlikely, Issei. I have spent many, many winter nights out in the wilderness. I have endured far colder. Tonight feels rather pleasant, in fact. Even if it snows, however, I shall endure it. Thank you for your generosity, however."

Her arms snaked around him, pulling him into a warm, gentle hug. Issei returned the hug easily.

"Sleep well, Issei."

"You too… Artemis."

"I shall try." She took his shoulders and gently spun him, before giving him just the lightest push back towards his own bedroll. Issei followed

Issei removed his shoes, then slid into the bedroll. As he did, a tiny part of his mind, a part that had been silenced, tried to tell him again how strange the whole situation was. Yet he ignored that part, and as his eyes slid shut, Issei found that he was indeed very, _very_ tired.

He was awake just long to realize that all the pains from scratches and thumps and bangs had vanished before he drifted off.

* * *

Artemis did not follow her own direction towards Issei. She supposed that that was a tad hypocritical of her, but she also knew that parenting of any kind involved a good deal of "do as I say, not as I do".

Besides, she needed to stay awake after her hapless wandering visitor fell asleep. Luckily for her, that took little time at all, not that she'd suspected it would. Children were easy to read, and Issei more than many. She hadn't actually asked his age, but by his voice and appearance, she suspected he wasn't more than six or seven. He almost certainly had no ill intentions, nor was he likely to be a spy for an enemy.

None of that, however, was what had left her disregarding her own advice.

Once she'd hung up her bow and sat back by the fire, Artemis began to hum to herself, waiting for her hearing to confirm things for her. Within minutes, Issei's breathing had fallen into a gentle, steady and slow rhythm. And once it had, she stood ever so slowly. Tiptoed towards her sleeping charge.

Light as a feather, her fingers touched his forehead, sending almost imperceptible ripples of power through his small body like a radar, ripples that would only deepen his slumber rather than interrupt it. She knew what it was she was looking for, yet dearly hoped that she'd been mistaken all the same.

But soon enough, the power rippled back towards her. And when it did, she knew that she hadn't been.

* * *

_**A/N: Wild boar tastes really good.**_

_** Rebooted this because I decided that the changes the original would have entailed were a bit too extreme for the story I was intending. The opposite approach to Artemis means a different Issei, but in a less intense way. Neither really violates mythology, given that Artemis' portrayal is inconsistent in her cults - some cults of Artemis claimed that she protected young children of both genders others claim she only protected young **__**girls**__** and thought very little of males in general, given the story of Sipriotes (a young boy Artemis turned into a girl because he saw her bathing… that's literally it for his list of 'crimes').**_


End file.
